Li Dongyuan stated: A slow and weak pulse, accompanied by lethargy, excessive sleepiness, flaccidity of the four limbs, or diarrhea, indicates an excess of dampness. This should be treated with Pingwei San (Calm the Stomach Powder). He further stated that for lethargy and sleepiness caused by dampness, if there is an inability to eat due to Spleen deficiency, heaviness, or diarrhea, add Cangzhu (Atractylodis Rhizoma); if spontaneous sweating occurs, add Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma).

*Bencao* records: It tonifies deficiencies and treats all conditions of extreme debility resulting from overwork and fatigue. (It is suitable for obese individuals with Yin deficiency, but not for thin individuals.)

Ingredients: Gancao (Licorice Root, 3 liang), Cangzhu (Atractylodis Rhizoma, 1 jin, soaked overnight in rice washing water, sliced, then covered overnight with 1 jin of finely chopped Allii Tuberosi Bulbus), Chuanjiao (Sichuan Pepper, 4 liang, stir-fried), Caowu (Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix, 0.5 jin, soaked overnight in water, sliced, then covered overnight with 4 liang of salt, and stir-fried dry the next day).

Grind the above ingredients into a fine powder. Mix with 6 jin of good wine lees, pound together three to five thousand times until uniform, and form pills the size of paulownia seeds. Take 30 pills per dose. For adults, take on an empty stomach with warm wine mixed with salt water; for women, take with light vinegar water.

Li Dongyuan stated: Feeling sleepy and mentally foggy after eating indicates Spleen Qi deficiency.

Renshen Buqi Tang (Ginseng Qi-Tonifying Decoction): Treats laziness and fatigue of the four limbs.

Ingredients: Huangqi (Astragali Radix, 1.5 qian), Renshen (Ginseng Radix, 0.7 qian), Zhi Gancao (Honey-fried Licorice Root, 0.3 qian), Shengdi (Rehmanniae Radix, 0.5 qian), Fangfeng (Saposhnikoviae Radix, 0.7 qian), Baishao (Paeoniae Radix Alba, 0.5 qian), Wuweizi (Schisandrae Fructus, 20 grains), Shengma (Cimicifugae Rhizoma, 0.7 qian), Rougui (Cinnamomi Cortex, 0.2 qian), Shudi (Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata, 0.6 qian), Sheng Gancao (Raw Licorice Root, 0.1 qian), Huangbai (Phellodendri Cortex, 0.7 qian), Zhimu (Anemarrhenae Rhizoma, 0.7 qian).

Grind the above ingredients into a coarse powder. Use as one dose. Add two cups of water, decoct until one cup remains, strain off the dregs, and take hot on an empty stomach.

Wu Ze stated: In the mountainous regions of Minzhong in Jiangnan, people keep hundreds of insects such as snakes, vipers, centipedes, slugs, and toads in the same vessel, allowing them to devour each other. The survivor is considered "spiritual" and used for worship. Its venom is extracted and mixed into vegetables, fruits, or food to harm others, under the delusion of seeking blessings and wealth. If a person is poisoned by this, symptoms vary endlessly, and sometimes many people die within a year. Some families worship these蛊 (Gu) like ancestors with incense and offerings. This is also called Gu, which can cause illness. The world calls it "Gu Zhu" (Gu Transmission). Based on surnames classified into the five tones, it is called "Five Gu." These practices occur mostly in remote, backward areas and are rarely heard of in the central plains.

Those who suffer from Gu poison experience severe colicky pain in the heart and abdomen, feeling as if something is being vomited up, resembling rotten meat. If not treated immediately, the poison will consume the five Zang organs, leading to death. To verify, have the patient spit into water; if the saliva sinks, it confirms Gu poisoning.

If someone has administered Gu poison, and the patient wishes to know the name of the perpetrator, burn broken drum skin into powder, take one fangcun bi (a measure roughly equivalent to a coin's surface area) with water, and within moments, the patient will spontaneously call out the name of the Gu master, which can be conveyed to him. Calling the perpetrator away will cure the patient. There are specific methods for treatment.

Popular methods for verifying Gu: Place a large soybean in the mouth. If the bean swells and its skin peels off, it is Gu poisoning; if it does not swell and the skin remains intact, it is not Gu. Have someone place a crane skin near the patient's bed without their knowledge. If the skin moves, the illness is severe and likely Gu; if it stays still, it is not Gu. Treatment must be carefully investigated before action and tested before implementation. Currently, some people mistakenly diagnose ordinary accumulation and distension diseases as Gu, which is particularly incorrect. Among Gu poisons, there are acute and chronic forms. Acute cases may lead to death within ten days; chronic cases drag on for years, leading to emaciation and eventual death after the five Zang organs are consumed. After death, the poison spreads to those nearby, turning them into Gu Zhu patients.

Wu Ze stated: For any poisoning, if chewing raw beans yields no fishy smell, or if chewing Bai Fan (Alumen) tastes sweet, it is undoubtedly poisoning.

*Mai Jing* states: When injured by various medicines, if the pulse is floating, choppy, and rapid, the patient will survive; if the pulse is minute and fine, the patient will die; if the pulse is surging, large, and slow, the patient will survive. (*Qianjin Fang* reads "rapid" instead of "slow").

Wu Ze stated: Chen Sha Wan (Cinnabar Pill): Treats Gu poison entering through wine and food. Prepare on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

Ingredients: Chen Sha (Cinnabar, finely ground), Xionghuang (Realgar, separately ground using water flotation method), Chijiao Wugong (Red-legged Centipede), Xuisui Zi (Euphorbiae Lathyridis Semen), each 1 liang; Shexiang (Musk, 1 qian).

Grind into powder, mix with glutinous rice drink to form pills the size of a cockle seed. If poisoning is suspected, take one pill with wine immediately. For snake or scorpion bites, grind with vinegar and apply externally; effective.

*Bixiao Fang*: Highly effective for Gu poison. Juice half a sheng from Hu Su Gen (Coriandri Sativi Radix), mix with wine, and take orally; effects are immediate.

*Waitai Miyao*: Treats Gu poison. Cut Tudigua Gen (Trichosanthes Radix) about three cun long and thumb-thick, soak in half a sheng of wine overnight. Take once; expect vomiting or purging.

Cui Shi stated: Snake Gu, acquired through food or drink, feels like a foreign object in the throat that cannot be swallowed or vomited, causing mental oppression and heat. Taking Madouling (Dentariae Rhizoma) will induce vomiting. Taking one fangcun bi of Shexiang (Musk) will also expel the Gu poison.

*Shengji Zonglu*: Five types of Gu poison. Grind Madouling Gen (Dentariae Rhizoma) 3 liang into powder, divide into three doses. Decoct one cup of water until reduced to half a cup, strain, and take. Expect worms to be vomited out. If not fully expelled, take again.

*Bencao*: Treats Gu poison. Use Daji (Euphorbiae Pekinensis Radix), Taobai Pi (Pruni Persicae Cortex dried by fire), and Banmao (Mylabris, wings and feet removed, stir-fried). Mix equal parts, grind and sieve into a powder. Take half a fangcun bi with cold water; the poison will be expelled. If not, take another dose, and the Gu will be expelled completely. This is the method of Li Raozhou, which is remarkably effective. If contracted via wine, take with wine; if via food, take with beverage. (Above are methods for inducing vomiting and purging Gu poison.)

Wu Ze stated: Most Gu poisons are disguised toxins. Upon knowing the time of exposure, boil Da Dou (Soybeans), Gancao (Licorice Root), and Ji Cai (Shepherd's Purse) juice to drink, which helps eliminate various toxins.

*Jing* states: Shan Dou Gen (Sophorae Tonkinensis Radix), amount unspecified. If suspected of Gu poisoning, secretly send someone to grind it with water, instructing the patient to remain silent while taking a small amount. If symptoms persist, take again. Another prescription uses 2 qian mixed with wine.

*Bencao*: Food containing Gu poison causes hard abdominal pain, yellowish-green eyes, extreme emaciation, and unpredictable changes. Grind Tie Xi (Iron filings) finely, mix with Ji Gan (Chicken Liver) pounded into paste, form pills the size of paulownia seeds. Take 5 pills with wine before or after meals.